Water-closet apparatus.



W. U. GRIFFITHS.

WATER CLOSET APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED D110. 21, 1905.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

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WILLIAM U. GRIFFITHS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

WATER-CLOSET APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2'0, 1908.

Application filed December 21, 1905. Serial N 0. 292,764.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM U. Garr- FITHS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWater-Closet Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to water closet apparatus, and more particularly tothat class of apparatus which is adapted to be located out-doors, whereit is unprotected from the cold of the winter. It is necessary in suchcases that the flush tank and other parts of the apparatus whichordinarily are filled with water shall be free from water so that theparts do not become frozen together and thus inoperative.

My invention relates specifically to an improvement of the means foroccasioning the closing of the port which opens from the flush tank intothe flush pipe of the apparatus at such times as it is desired to fillthe tank preparatory to flushing the closet.

In order that my invention may be more readily understood, reference isto be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of thespecification.

In the drawings, 1 designates a closet hopper and 2 designates a flushtank, the interior of which is in communication with the upper edge ofthe hopper by means of the flush pipe 3.

4 designates a port in the bottom of the flush tank which is adapted tobe closed by means of a valve 5 located below the bottom of the tank.The valve 5 is pivotally connected to a rod 8 which in the particularconstruction shown is supported in bearings 9 upon the tank 2, and has aportion bent laterally over the said tank to which laterally bentportion the valve 5 is connected.

I11 the construction shown, the rod is bent twice and one end thereofextends to a point a short distance above the upper surface of thebottom of the tank, but, of course, it will be understood that it isunnecessary to eX- tend the rod to this point and that the valve may beconnected to the rod 8 by lengthening what may be termed the shank ofthe valve to a point near the top of the tank at which point theconnection between the valve and the rod 8 may be effected.

It will be observed that the portion of the rod within the tank issupported and guided in guides 11. The lower end of the rod 8 extends toa point a slight distance above the rear end of an arm 12 which isconnected to the closet seat 13 and which is adapted to move upwardly asthe seat is moved downwardly. The rear end otthe arm 12 and the lowerend of the rod 8 are so related to each other that when the seat ismoved downwardly into contact with the upper edge of the closet hopper,the rod is lifted by the up ward movement of the said arm to an extentsufficient to carry the valve 5 into contact with the lower side of thebottom of the flush tank 2 to close the port 4.

Water enters the flush tank 2 through a pipe 14. When the closet seat ismoved down upon the up or edge of the closet hopper, it contacts wit 1 arod 6, the lower end of which is connected to a valve 15. The said rod 6is pressed upwardly so as to hold the valve 15 in closed position bymeans of a coiled wire spring 7.

Normally, as will be seen, the seat 13 is located above and out ofcontact with the upper edge of the closet hopper. When it is moved downupon the hopper, it strikes the rod 6 and occasions movement thereofdownwardly to open the valve 15 to permit water to pass through theopening or passageway 16 from the water supply pipe 17 to the pipe 14from which it escapes 1nto the flush tank 2.

In order that the water may flow out of the pipe 14 when the apparatusis not in use, I

ave provided a short pipe construction 18 between the soil pipe 19leading from the water closet hopper to the valve mechanism with theinterior of which the pipe 14 communicates through a passageway 20.During the time that water is flowing through the pipes 17 and 14 intothe flush tank 2, the passageway 20 is closed by means of a valve 21.

In order to prevent the water from overflowing the tank in case thevalve 15 should be held down for a longer time than is usually the case,I have provided an overflow pipe 22 located in the said tank andemptying into the flush pipe 3.

It will be seen that I have provided a water closet ap aratus which isadmirably adapted for outoor use, and which is simple and economical.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a water closetapparatus, in combination, a flush tank having a port therein, a watercloset hopper having communication with the said flush tank, a watercloset seat I it is adapted to be engaged thereby, and a portion of thesaid rod extending over the said tank, and a valve connected to theportion of the said rod which extends over the said tank, the said valvebeing adapted to close the said port in the flush tank.

2. In a water closet apparatus, in combination, a flush tank having aport or opening, a water closet hopper in communication with the saidflush tank, a water closet seat having an arm, a rod, thelower end ofwhich is located in proximity to the said arm and is adapted to beengaged thereby when the said arm is moved upwardly, and the upperportion of the said rod being bent laterally and downwardly to a pointabove the upper surface of the bottom of the tank, and a valve connectedto the downwardly bent portion of the said rod within the tank, the saidvalve being located below the bottom of the tank and being adapted to bemoved upwardly by an upward movement of the rod to close the said port,

3. In a water closet apparatus, in combination, a flush tank having aport, a water closet hopper in communication with the said tank, acloset seat having an arm extending rearwardly therefrom, which arm isadapted to move upwardly when the seat is moved down upon the upper edgeof the hopper, a rod, the lower end of which is located in proximity tothe rear end of the said arm and is adapted to be engaged thereby andmoved upwardly by the said arm, the upper end of the said rod being bentor extended over the upper edge of the tank, means for slidablysupporting the said rod upon the said tank, a valve connected to theportion of the said rod which is extended over the said tank, the saidvalve being adapted to close the said port when the rod is movedupwardly.

4. In a water closet apparatus, in combination, a flush tank having aport, a water closet hopper in communication with the said tank, a watercloset seat having an arm, a rod, the lower end of which is located inproximity to the outer end of the said arm and is adapted to be engagedthereby and moved upwardly as the seat is moved into contact with theupper edge of the hopper,

amass the upper portion of the said rod being bent laterally anddownwardly into the said flush tank,- a valve connected to thedownwardly bentportion of the said rod and moving upwardly with the rodto close the port or opening, a water supply pipe for supplying water tothe said tank, a valve which normally closes the said pipe, and meansintermediate the said valve and the water closet seat whereby when theseat is moved in a position u on the upper edge of the water closet hoppr the said last mentioned valve is opened to permit the passage of waterinto the said tank.

5. In a water closet apparatus, in combination, a flush tank having aport therein, a water closet hop er having-communication with the saidflus tank, a water closet seat having an arm, a rod having its lower endso positioned with relation to the said arm that it is adapted to beengaged thereby so that the said rod may be raised by an upward movementof the said arm, the said rod being bent and having a portion extendedover the top of said tank, anda valve located underneath the bottom ofthe tank and connected to the portion of the said rod which extends overthe said tank, the said valve being adapted to close said port in theflush tank when the rod is raised.

6. In a water closet apparatus, in combination, a iiush tank having aport or opening, a water closet hopper in combination with the saidflush tank, a water closet seat having an arm, a rod, the lower end ofwhich is located in proximity to the said arm and is adapted to beengaged thereby when the said arm is moved upwardly whereby the said rodis raised and the upper portion of the said rod being bent laterally anddownwardly, and a valve connected to the downwardly extended portion ofthe said rod, the said valve being located below the bottom of the tankand being adapted to be moved upwardly to close the said port by anupward movement of the said rod.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereuntosigned my name this 27th day of Nov. A. D. 1905.

WILLIAM U. GRIFFITHS.

In the presence of S. SALoME BROOKE, LAURA KLEINFELDER.

